Strength training through lifting weights is a popular exercise regimen that promotes muscle growth, joint and tendon strengthening and bone development, among various other health benefits. Weight training equipment includes traditional free weights (using barbells and dumbbells in combination with disc or plate weights) or specially designed resistance training machines that employ rubber bands, springs or weights to create resistance such that a user can specifically isolate particular muscle groups for training.
While resistance-training machines are designed to better isolate muscles, the free weights can be used for more complex movements that recruit a larger number of muscle groups. For example, a “Seated Knee Extension” exercise performed on a plate or disc-loaded machine is mostly designed to work the quadriceps group, while a barbell squat works the quadriceps, all the thigh and lower leg muscles plus the gluteal muscles, and the back extensors along with other trunk muscles.
However, even though traditional free weight exercises engage more muscle groups per movement when compared with resistance training machines, they are limited in the aspect that most of the movements performed with the free weights are unidirectional and occur mostly around one dominant joint axis and one dominant plane of motion at a time. This is often true even in the case of multi joint exercises. For example, in a “Shoulder Press” exercise performed with dumbbells or barbells, the movement is occurring in the frontal (coronal plane) of the body while the axes of rotation remain unchanged respectively antero-posterior for both the shoulder and the elbow joint.
However, it is well known that many every day human movements, as well as many athletic activities, require that the body functions using multiple joint axes and planes of motion at certain instants. Even though this synergistic modality of resolving various force opposition scenarios occurs naturally and is often preferred to isolation strategies, there is no current apparatus and method of training specifically designed for it.
The present disclosure provides an apparatus and associated method that can be utilized effectively to put under load a variety of multi-planar, multi-axial and multi-directional movements for the purpose of improving muscle and joint health and performance.
The movements performed with traditional free weights consist mostly of pushing or pulling the weight in different directions. In contrast, the movements performed with the present apparatus and method include a variety of spinning, swinging, and rapid accelerations in various directions, and throwing or catching movements which can be multi-planar relative to the space, multi-axial relative to the involved joints and multi-directional relative to the apparatus movements.
By way of example, the “Kayak Bar Spin” is an exercise that combines movements of the body and the bar in all three planes of motion. In the start position, the bar is held in front of the chest with the elbows bent at 90° using a pronated grip, while the body is upright with the feet placed shoulder width apart and the knees slightly bent. In the first part of the exercise, the following movements occur: bilateral knee bend; right to left weight transfer; left trunk rotation and side bend; right arm flexion, adduction and internal rotation; left arm extension, abduction and external rotation. The exercise then continues with a further bilateral knee bend, left arm flexion, abduction and external rotation. Then, the bar is pushed in front of the body while rotating the trunk towards the right side and reversing the movements previously described.
As can be readily appreciated, the number of muscles involved in this exercise are far greater due to the multitude of movements involved when compared to the traditional bar push or pull exercises; i.e., “Shoulder Press”, “Chest Press”, “Bicep Curls”, etc.
A commonly used exercise bar is the Olympic bar, which weighs about 45 lb (approximately 20.41 kg) with a standard length of 7 ft (approximately 213.36 cm). Because of its heavy weight and length, the Olympic bar is not suitable for training many beginners or people recovering from injuries. An Olympic bar is also not secure to be swung and spun when loaded with plates. Even if the plates were secured tightly to the bar, the Olympic bar would be too heavy for most people to safely spin. Moreover, because of the wide diameter of the plate weights, a loaded Olympic bar would have to be rotated further away from the body in order to clear the body. Furthermore, the ends of the Olympic bar are cylindrical components designed to be loaded with plate weights and to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the bar.
Therefore, an Olympic bar cannot be gripped effectively about its ends as it would not be suitable to transmit torque when rotated about its longitudinal axis. With respect to the grip surface, an Olympic bar has an engraved pattern on its grip portions that is quite rough in comparison to the smooth surface of the rest of the bar. This design is a result of the fact that the Olympic bar is contemplated for use in exercises where the hands remain in a stationary position during the course of the exercise. Finally, the Olympic bar has sharp, defined edges that could damage a floor when coming in contact with it. The sharp edges also make it difficult to tilt when the bar is upright with one end on the ground.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved exercise bar that addresses these deficiencies of the Olympic bar. More specifically, there is a need for an improved exercise bar that is easy to handle with limited abrasion, can be rotated about its longitudinal axis or supported by one end on the ground, and can be sized such that it can be used effectively by a wide variety of users with different training needs.
The present invention overcomes the characteristics of the Olympic bar mentioned above. The present apparatus can be manufactured with a lighter weight, shorter length and a more versatile grip than the Olympic bar. The weight can vary from approximately 8 lb (approximately 3.63 kg) to 80 lb (approximately 36.28 kg) and the length can vary from 1½ ft (approximately 45.75 cm) to 8 ft (approximately 243.84 cm). When gripped at the ends, the present apparatus transmits the forces from the body to the bar and vice versa in all directions, including the rotation around its longitudinal axis because the bar is made, at least in one embodiment, from one continuous piece and the ends are fixed with respect to the longitudinal axis. Also, because the present apparatus is not loaded with additional weights, it is both safer and more effective to use in swinging and spinning movements due to its compact shape and design than the plate-loaded Olympic bar.
Furthermore, the present apparatus provides a smoother grip surface that can permit moving the hands as needed during an exercise by sliding them from a first position to a second position along the shaft without causing undue damage due to friction. An example of this grip change will be discussed in greater detail in connection with the drawings presented herein. Finally, the present apparatus has, in at least one embodiment, rounded spherical edges on both ends which can allow rotation or translation of the bar without damaging the surface with which it comes in contact.
A “Straight Bar” is another piece of exercise equipment commonly used in weight training. The straight bars can vary in weight and length but they have one common characteristic; that is that they have the same diameter across their whole length. It is well known that in order to rotate a weight placed farther away from the centre of rotation, it requires more effort and therefore more work than if the weight to be rotated is placed closer to the centre of rotation.
When compared to the straight bar, the present apparatus has the weight distributed further away from the centre of rotation and therefore when spun around its centre of rotation, it can require a larger number of muscles and/or a more intense contraction of the same muscles. Therefore, the muscle recruitment is higher when using the present apparatus.
Plyometric exercises are also well known to develop speed, power and explosiveness but they are mostly performed using body weight. Currently, there are no weighted exercise apparatuses that are specifically contemplated for use in connection with plyometric exercises. This is largely because existing free weights are too heavy, unsafe or inconvenient to use in connection with such rapid and repetitive plyometric movements.
Further, there is a lack of simple exercise apparatuses that are specifically designed for both multi-planar and plyometric strength training exercises. There is a need for an exercise bar of unitary construction and functional design for use in connection with a wide variety of dynamic, multi-axial, multi-planar and plyometric strength training exercises.